KUDOS to the author of the “TAXPAYERS & CITIZENS” article in Antigo Shoppers Guide
Someone has FINALLY said it – voiced their views about the Law Enforcement here in Antigo and the problems with it. I am in TOTAL agreement with this person. If you haven’t read the article, it is in the Antigo Shoppers Guide September 18th issue on page 4.
I, too, believe that there is corruption and favoritism by the Antigo Police. It is something that has been going on as long as I can remember. It sure would be nice to see something done about it.
It would be great to hear from the author of this article and, if possible, have the entire article posted on this site. I would like to see comments by other local residents regarding this issue.
Power to the People!!!
***************UPDATE**********
With permission from the Author (Thank You) – Here is the article being referred to:
TAXPAYERS & CITIZENS
Recently, the Manitowoc Mayor and City Council made a fair but bold move to have an independent review of their city’s police department, something I believe most citizens feel is long overdue here in Antigo. As a result, three officers, including their chief, were removed pending further investigation. These “reviews” or “probes” are going on quietly throughout our state.
I believe most of our citizens don’t know where to file complaints and/or feel intimidated by law enforcement, fearing retaliation by them. Believe me, I have the same feelings. I believe my freedom could be at risk just for these few lines. But as Americans we are historically known for standing up and being heard! “Freedom of Speech.”
There are many forms of police corruption or activities we should not put up with. Such as: profiling and pulling over approximately 165 people without cause, good ol’ boy policies (giving the rich or friends breaks while riding the backs of the poor), police lying under oath (and not being fired for it), intimidation tactics, destabilizing families to gain information, abuse of power, planting evidence, openly disrespecting low-income citizens, even disrespectful dispatchers.
You should know citizens, that law enforcement police themselves. There is no real checks and balances in the law enforcement system, something our legislature can easily fix by forcing all law enforcement personnel to be licensed by the state. That way the state could rid us easily of corrupt or ethically bankrupted cops. They already license RN’s, doctors, lawyers, etc. The police two-year course should be doubled to four years with a stronger emphasis on ethics and corruption.
Power is a seducing thing and can easily be abused, and many people feel it’s happening here.
Call Mayor Matousek at 623-3633 ext 150 and request an independent review of our law enforcement that would allow public testimony.
Then call Senator Breske at 1-800-334-8773 and tell him to sponsor legislation that would force law enforcement to be licensed.
Remember, citizens, the police exist solely to SERVE and PROTECT, the rich as well as the poor equally. “Something I think they’ve forgotten.”
Update: Regarding the 165 citizens pulled over in Antigo over the past 3 months: I received a phone call from Senator Breske stating that “the statutes are clear, citizens are not to be stopped while driving for no reason,” much less profiled. He stated “to do so would be illegal.”
The police may have committed illegal acts against our citizens in their seemingly reckless thirst for drug bonus money in a job that already pays well. If true, we should expect terminations and possible lawsuits.
Breske further states that people should file complaints with the Fire & Police Commissioner Robert Hunter at 715-627-4082. Citizens can remain anonymous. Also, you may contact Attorney General J.B. VanHollen at 608-266-1221.
I personally would recommend a good attorney such as William Mansell at 715-849-5700.
PAID ADVERTISEMENT BY ANTIGO PRIVATE CITIZEN TAXPAYER
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Drug house……
the bar on 5th and door, I believe is called petticote junction…. its a known drug dealer hangout…. wtf is with the antigo PD… wake up MORONS……. nuff said…… lol
Hey cops…. D’uhoh………( idiots ! )
***I believe the owner of Petticoat Junction does have drug charges pending – Admin
^^^ Hey Anon^^^ Walmart is also a drug dealer hangout and drug den. Now that Walmart is the only store left, I am sure that every drug dealer shops there. By your logic, the police should shut down Walmart or maybe Kwik Trip drug dealers shop there also. What was that you said about a moron?
Kyle,
I think your answer really missed the mark. There is a difference between a place where everyone(including drug dealers) go to shop and fulfill every day needs and a place where drug dealers go to conduct business. I believe that was the point of “annon”s comment.
Furthermore, I believe the point is that everyone, including the Antigo PD, knows who the movers and shakers are regarding drugs in this town. If you really want to solve the problem then we need to quit with the good ol’ boys mentallity and protecting people with the big names and bigger pocketbooks, and start treating all people the same especially when they brake the law!
Another known drug dealing bar would be in edison st. (Nick’s) and the owner in included in that one to. I’ve heard some messed up stories about what people do in the bathrooms of that bar.. I have never and will never go into that bar after what I heard…..
Hey Jane Doe … PLEASE tell us what you heard!!!
people, are you really that ignorant? The police stop stopped 165 innocent citizens for no reason? BS! They did no such thing. I am sure there was something illegal with each one of their vehicles or they committed some illegal act. The red tape that some people put over their brake lights when they crack…illegal. Good enough for the police to make a stop. I suppose if they weren’t out there working you ignorant morons would be saying that all they do is sit around and eat donuts? Whatever, get a clue! There is no more unfair treatment by the police department than anywhere else. They have “discretion” and the power to use it. Because their use of discretion doesn’t agree with your views, it doesn’t mean they are doing things illegally or are corrupt. Why do the hairballs get more tickets and arrested more than the so-called upstanding citizens, because they screw up more! If Joe business owner gets stopped for speeding once in his life and gets a warning and never speeds again, they did their job. If someone else gets pulled over for doing the same speed and has 5 speeding tickets in the last year they deserve a ticket! It is not corruption, it is common sense!
The police aren’t doing anything illegal, or wrong for that matter. If you don’t like the laws, send a letter to your state representitive asking them to make such minor equipment violations legal. Don’t waste people’s time with bogus investigations into wrong-doing.
These are also the same laws that probably keep the police from doing there job. They just can’t walk into Petticoat Junction and arrest people because they heard on the AntigoBuzz that there is drug dealing going on there. I believe they already have drug charges on the owner anyway. The real problem is with the court system. Last week a repeat coke dealer got 1 year probation for delivering cocaine in his semi with a loaded gun! What a joke! You want a solution to the drug problem, its time to start putting these people away!
Also, law enforcement personel are licensed by the state and have to meet continuing education standards.
Hey ignnorant people suck, Who said the police were doing illegal or wrong things?? And its ignorant not ignnorant.
pulling over people without cause and profiling would be illegal>
Hey ignorant,
You’re the one who needs to get a clue. The police are doing plenty of things wrong. You have obviously never had the pleasure of being on the receiving end of one of these stops or investigations.
Here are a few examples:
Being stopped for suspicion of DUI because my”car was seen parked outside of a tavern for most of the night”.
Being stopped for suspicion of DUI because of “weaving within your lane”
Being stopped for suspicion of DUI for “crossing the white(fog) line”
NONE OF THE ABOVE ARE LEGAL REASONS TO BE STOPPED!!
An officer picks up a speck(slightly larger than a head of a pin) of something off the garage floor than proceeds to say that you will be charged with drug possession if you don’t immediately disclose the location of your drug “stash”.(Swat, Antigo PD and drug dogs seached the entire property and found….NOTHING!!!! Search based on “anonymous tip”).
Your precious police officers are doing nothing more than a witch hunt!!
Take the time to go and look up the overturned court cases in Madison’s high courts and see how many are overturned due to illegal stops. You’ll be amazed!
actually, here is some recent case law in the State of Wisconsin.
State v Post (2007)-it is legal for an officer to stop and arrest a person for OWI based on the subject weaving within their lane.
Crossing the fog line is also a violation. 346.13(3) says “when lanes have been marked or posted for traffic moving in a particular direction, or at particular speeds, the operator of a vehicle shall drive in the lane designated” hmmm, the fog lines designate the edge of the lane. I will agree that there was a recent case, State v Gilbertson I believe, that was overturned upon appeal. However the State is expecting to win at the Supreme Court level and the case should be resolved shortly.
You are right about being stopped for suspicion of DUI because the vehicle was seen outside a bar. They need more reasonable suspicion beyond a vehicle being outside a bar all night. I know many areas sit outside the bar and wait for people to leave and stop them. They still need something beyond that (license plate violation, headlight, stuff hanging from the rear view mirror) to stop them. It is not illegal for the cops to do it, just not real fair. In reality, do you really care if the cops stop a drunk driver for some ticky-tack reason, so long as they are arresting someone for drunk driving. Maybe the cops should only stop the plainly obvious drunks and let the other lesser drunks go. Talk about favoritism! If you think that only the really drunk people kill other people in drunk driving accidents, you are ignorant! I guess you have never had a friend that lost his father when he was in third grade because he was killed by a drunk driver at 6 o’clock at night.
If the speck that was picked up was a marijuana seed, that could be enough to get a warrant (if other conditions existed). However, it is more than likely that consent was granted and the police searched the residence as a result.
Also, officers are doing their job by investigating annonymous complaints. I agree that is unfortunate that innocent people have some of their time taken up by having to answer to these type of complaints, but they also do turn into discoveries of wrong doing.
You also said the police probably know the “movers and shakers.” The annonymous tips that they get are probably about people they know about already and it just gives them a chance to act. I also highly doubt they would waste their time bringing in a drug dog (which they would have to bring in from a different county) and calling up their SWAT team for an annonymous complaint about drugs. It is good they found nothing, but don’t you think it is good that they followed up and did an investigation? Apparently not, I guess you believe they must have proof beyond a reasonable doubt to even talk to someone. They don’t even need an annonymous tip to talk to someone or stop at their houses.
When I first moved here, I was witness to something very illegal. My first reaction was of course to call the police. I asked an elderly neighbor before I did, to get her thoughts and make sure I had everything straight. I was unsure of some of the names and she’s lived here all her life and knows all of the people involved. She told me I was CRAZY to call the police and that some of them were related to the people involved in the crime. She said mind your own business. If you get involved YOU will be sorry. Nothing will be done to these people and YOU will find yourself being pulled over and harrassed for all kinds of things. I never called, but regret it at times. I don’t want any trouble, but when I think of the things some people get away with……
No I don’t believe that police need proof beyond a reasonable doubt to even talk to someone, but I think it’s BS for them to use questionable tactics to get themselves in to a position “to do good”.
You pointed out several case studies and upon further research I found that these are recent additions(2007) and according to your own post are being overturned and reviewed.
There maybe current laws being put on the books, but that was not the case when these incidents happened.
And as for the designation of a fog line, it is a lane marker but it was not designed as such. It was designed as a safety measure to mark the edge of the roadway so that during times of visual impairment(ie.foggy) drivers did not leave the road. Hence, therein lies the question.
Apparently you believe that the end justifies the means and that good, law abiding citizens should but up with being harrassed and embarrassed, for the good of the community. Well, I don’t. I would like to go about my business without having to take the time and effort to prove myself innocent of whatever they think I may or may not be quilty of. Innocent till proven guilty. Yet when I have done nothing wrong…the police are there trying to show I did.
Lastly, in regards to my movers and shakers comment, the point I was making has nothing to do with anonymous tips. It has to do with the fact that drug dealers and their business are common knowledge to many, many people in this town. How is it that half the town knows who, what, where, when and how but the police do not?? And as you stated they don’t need a good reason to stop at a house or talk to someone, but yet they never stop and talk to these people. You don’t find that odd???
I am obviously not going to agree with you nor you with me. I just thought some things should be brough to light for others to form their own opinions. I am dissappointed in the state of not only our city but our state and country and this things are truely only the tip of the ice berg. Police abusing power, the rights of citizens being denied, corruption, bribes, thefts, the list goes on and on. Basicly people behaving badly. And turning a blind eye and convincing yourself and others that it’s ok and that the ends justify the means, doesn’t help solve the problem, it feeds it. People need to stand up for themselves and take responsibility for themselves and stop expecting the government (the police, the mayor or the president) to make it right.
ddddd,
I posted a similar comment in the other section about the Antigo PD. Everyone thinks the simple solution is to report it and it will get taken care of but most forget that especially in a small town things have away of getting back to the wrong people and the person who is trying to do the right thing gets punished.
SAD:(
As I read these comments day after day I agree with somethings and disagree with some things. We judge, critisize, degrade, and complain about law enforcement and our police department yet when was the last time anyone said thank you for all that they do. I agree that sometimes we disagree with how things are handled. I’m intelligent enough to understand that police can not just arrest people because they want to, including drug dealers, they have to have proof. I also have been stopped by police but took responsiblity for what I did wrong and realize they are just doing their job.
I hear complaints from people that were in jail. I was a victim of a crime and am very happy that the person was caught and put in jail. Do I feel sympothy for them in anyway…. No! I don’t feel the need to stand up for the criminals in our communittee in anyway because the innocent do not deserve to be victims by them. I think if you are complaining about this you are probably not on the straight and narrow yourself. If you are just not wise to life in general I pray that you never are a victim of being robbed, or sexually assaulted, or beaten, or heaven forbid your family or children are killed by a drunk driver or drug dealer because when that happens you run to the police after critisizing everything about them. They may not be perfect but they work day and night, nights and weekends, and every holiday. Have you ever stopped and thought for a second what would happen if our law enforcement decided to take a week off or even a weekend. What if they would just say sorry call back on Monday. If you are a criminal that would be great news for you. If you are just a nieve person that doesn’t understand, good luck to you and your family trying to protect yourself when people know that all law enforcement have taken a vacation. I personally thank our law enforcement for helping me when I needed them and doing what they can to help our communittee. If you want to help like you say instead of standing up against law enforcement why don’t you try helping them take down the drug dealers and thieves.
You’re right, we’re probably not going to agree. One of your comments about how everyone knows what is going on except for the police. I am sure they know more than you think, but because of their hands being tied they probably can’t do a lot. I would certainly never suggest they commit illegal acts so long as the ends justify the means. If they don’t make contact with innocent citizens and investigate how will they know they are innocent? Are they simply to say that “oh, its Alexis, she doesn’t do anything wrong so we shouldn’t even follow up on the complaint we got.” How are they ever to know you are innocent if they don’t talk to you? You seem to think that they shouldn’t investigate certain innocent people regarding complaints they get, but at the same time crucify them for not taking action against certain people because of who they are. Your questionable tactics are not illegal, not corrupt, and are quite frankly good police work. How many crimes do you think have been solved, people with warrants arrested, even terrorist plots thwarted due to annonymous complaints being investigated. The police aren’t there trying to show that you did something wrong, they’re following up on a complaint. That is there jobs, to follow up on complaints. It is not police abusing their power. If you have any suggestions on how police are to investigate complaints if they can’t either talk to the person they are in regards to (even if they turn out to be innocent), I would love to hear them.
Do you have legitimate proof of bribes, thefts, corruption, etc? I’m not talking about stuff your friend told you that they heard from their brother’s neighbor’s cousin…I’m talking legitimate stuff, not stuff that people have already been punished for (the cop that was fired and jailed for his mistakes-I guess they really do get in trouble when complaints are filed against them) or RUMORS that you have heard. Rumors are more damaging then an innocent person being investigated (not arrested and taken to jail, but talked to) and released.
What the police do is based upon how much information they may have. If they have an annonymous complaint, they may only be able to knock on the door and ask for consent. They can be denied and told to hit the bricks. Or, if they have more reliable information they may be able to simply get a warrant.
Alexis, we’re not going to see eye to eye because my views are based on logic and common sense, yours are based off emotion and what you hear through rumors.
I am really getting tired of having to rephrase my comments so that you can understand them, ignnorant. You apperantly want to take everything I say and turn it into something it’s not. I am not spreading rumors, I am not a police hater. The entire point of my posts, which once again you have failed to understand, is that people do bad things. And let me tell you something, “talking” to someone is a hell of alot diffrent than raiding their house or stopping their vehicle on the side of the road and searching not only their car but their person.
I understand that they have to do their jobs and that their jobs are often underpaid and unrecognized. I also understand that sometimes things are not what they seem. You need to understand that sometimes things get out of control and the lines of illegal/improper/immoral get crossed or at the very least, blurred.
You made it sound like the people who had posted here prior were making these things up or had confused them with something they saw on tv. For you to imply that someone out there has never been mistreated by a police officer is, in your terms, ignorant. Give it a rest and take your head out of the sand. My entire point was to show you that there is proof that things like this ARE going on and they ARE going on here.
And you are right about us not agreeing but not because of your use of “logic and common sense”, but because your are so sure that everyone in this town is always on the up and up and nothing illegal, immoral or improper ever happens. But we all know better…if it didn’t we would not be here, having these conversations.
Yes, we certainly would NOT be having these conversations! I was brand new to this town and only knew one neighbor. Yet, in my very first month I was WARNED about keeping my mouth shut! Like ALEXIS, I have TONS of admiration and respect and gratitude for our police. I honor them! However … it’s always sad when a few “bad apples” spoil the whole bunch.
I think the good officers … the 99.99 percent of them would NOT be sorry to see these few gone. The good guys deserve better!
Overall I can’t complain with the police force here in town, but some things have happened to close friends of my family that shouldn’t have. My neighbor drives the same exact car as a habitual drunk driver, so any time he drove at night he would get pulled over. It got to the point where the cop would walk out, see it was him, apologize, and leave.
Another thing I’ve heard of them doing is in the public parking lots (behind Nick’s for example) they mark the headlights of cars with a washable marker of some sort. This is illegal in private parking lots, but apparently there’s nothing against it in a city-owned lot. So when a cop sees that mark, they watch to see if they think they can pull the person over on suspiscion of DWI. I work at the Elk’s Club on ocassion, and I’ve been follwed by a cop twice now, but I’ve never been pulled over.
ddddd,
I have to say that I am sorry to hear about your experiences in our town. It is a good community and if I didn’t think so I wouldn’t keep coming back.
It’s sad to say, but there is a bad element in every community and I truely wish there was an easy way to make it right, but there is not.
I had really hoped that when I found this website, there would be more people posting and becoming involved, because I believe that if enough people can come together to fight for something we believe in, than maybe change can happen. People shouldn’t be afraid to ask for help, nor should anyone have to live in fear or turn the other cheek when the see something bad occuring.
And you’re right. I have a ton of respect for our officers and wish them only the best. I know their jobs are hard, frustrating and often dangerous. That is not an excuse to use their position for other than the good of the community nor to blur the lines of the law. Yes, a few bad apples have ruined it for alot of good officers.
Thanks for posting and I hope that your stay here only gets better!
Marking headlights with magic markers behind bars??? Are you serious? Do they camo up and do the belly crawl to do this? Come on people lets get real here!!!
If so many people “live in fear” in our communitee then by all means MOVE! We are just a spec on the map and there is many other options to choose from. The truth is there are a ton of people that love our communittee and respect our officer’s and appreciate what they do. Our communittee needs upstanding citizens not people who are just trying to stir up trouble.
If you have a problem do something about it the right way instead of just police bashing. Some have made comments that in fact there are decent officer’s if you have all this “proof” then go file a complaint and show your proof. Its one thing to be a gossip hound and spread rumors and another to be a leader.
Gee, average citizen, what makes you think that complaints aren’t being filed??? In fact, this thread was started due to a person filing a complaint and posting that information in the Shoppers Guide.
How much more “proof” do you want??
And, in case you don’t read the news, these problems are everywhere. Where do you propose we go?
And part of the problem is that people are tired of the BS and ARE moving out of our community. Or have you failed to notice the vacent store fronts and for sale signs on every street??
Furthermore, I don’t know how you can claim that by coming here and sharing experiences, thoughts and opinions, that we are police bashing. Just because you don’t think it’s happening doesn’t mean the people here are liars, dillusional or confused with what they saw on tv. They have just had different experiences than you.
I think it’s great that you can spend your day convinced that all is right in your world, but for many of us that’s not an option, because it’s not a reality.
ddddd was brand new to the town and warned to keep their mouth shut. The question is, did the person they hear that from have a recent problem? If it was an elderly neighbor they might be referring to something that happened 50 years ago! Or, maybe they got it from someone else that got the rumor from someone else and now ddddd gets the tail end of it and not only decides not to file a complaint, but spreads the rumor further on this forum by saying they know the police are corrupt because of something a neighbor said. It is unfortunate that the end result is no action being taken at all.
I am not ignorant and I know there are probably things going on. However, usually the ignorant believe some of the things going on are wrong, when actually they are legal. This is my problem with people in general. They don’t take the time to educate themselves, rely on what rumors they have been subjected to, listen to the sensationalsim in the media, and don’t take responsibility for their own actions. Instead, they are victims.
Take D2Fy for example, anytime their neighbor drives home at night they are stopped-probably not! Maybe occasionally, but I would say anytime is not likely. And to follow that up with a cop marking headlights with a washable marker! I don’t think the cops are wearing camo, I think they are wearing their invisible suits when they are doing this? That ranks right up there on the ignorant list with cops tasting something they found on the dirty floor of a vehicle! WOW! Maybe the cops should have stopped you because you probably are drunk if you come up with that!
99.9% of police are good, the other .1% deserve whatever they get. 99.9 % of the complaints against the police are probably BS, including the one in the Shopper’s guide that resembles items written by the former Mayor Moron. Thank god his non-tax paying posterior is no longer deciding what to do with our taxes.
ignorant people suck! …
Honestly, my neighbor is an extremely well known and well loved lady who has never even gotten a speeding ticket. She knows EVERYONE in the Antigo area. I am sure that 99.99% of the officers are wonderful people and fine examples of our community. It’s just very sad when people are afraid to report a serious crime due to even ONE bad apple. Oh and by the way … I personally KNOW the former Mayor Moron and personally I think he was one of the worst apples Antigo has ever seen! Add drunk driver to the list of his indescretions!
I really don’t care what you have to say ignorant, because it’s the truth. Nobody is wearing camo. Remember back in the 90s when they had an “officer” or at least a person in uniform walk around downtown and make the tires of cares with that yellow marker? That’s what they’re doing. It makes sense too.
As for my neighbor, he was pulled over 9 times in 6 months. It may not seem like a lot, but I’m sure it would get irratating.
DF2Y let me explain something because you are WAY off! The yellow mark on tires, that wasn’t just done in the 90s but is still done today, is chalk. That chalk mark is done on veh’s that are downtown to enforce the parking hours. For example, the officer marks your tire with the yellow chalk in a little over 2 hours they come back and check. If the vehicle is still there that they marked they get a parking ticket. This in fact is done because of the local businesses who have complained because the parking times are not being enforced.
I can sympathize with your neighbor if that in fact did happen to him. However, you are ridiculing the police for pulling over a vehicle that is identical to a “habitual drunk driver”. Its probably better they don’t try to get this “habitual drunk driver” and ignore the fact that the identical vehicle is out. I also believe it was said that the officer did in fact apologize for pulling that person over. I can see why it’s irritating however I thank the officer’s for trying to make sure that “habitual drunk driver” is off the road so he doesn’t kill my friends or family. I thank them for trying and not just ignoring the obvious problem.
I got a great idea DF2Y, why don’t you set up a camera in the parking lot and catch these pesky little donut eaters while they are putting invisible markers on your headlights so they can pull you over and arrest you for drunk driving. Let us know how that works out. Maybe you can catch them picking something off the ground and eating it to see if it is a crack rock and call in the SWAT team and all the drug dogs from the neighboring county so they can raid the parking lot. Brilliant idea!
Take it easy on DF2Y guys, because he is partially right on the marking headlights. I was in Nick’s over the summer and when I was about to leave there were cops in the parking lot marking headlights. But 2 weeks later I was in there again and talked to the bartender, who told me that they can’t do it anymore because of some law against it. Instead of just attacking the guy, next time you should do some research and get your facts straight.
Thanks favre. My mom is a bartender, and our family is good friends with quite a few other bartenders. I didn’t know they were no longer doing it, but I knew that at least over the summer they were. On a Wednesday night in like the end of June the bar I play volleyball for had a game, and the bartender at Nick’s at I believe Smitty’s both called to that bar and quite a few others to tell the bartenders to warn their patrons.
Nice try, but the cops don’t mark headlights. Absolutely ridiculous! Tell me how it works, I would love to hear the technology behind it. How about posting a website where these special drunk driver markers can be found.
I would be a lot more inclined to believe that the cops are walking through the parking lot and knocking out tail lights with thier batons.
You’re right, they don’t anymore. But they did over the summer. Yes, I was wrong on thinking that they still did it, I didn’t know about the law favre4ever mentioned. I’m not saying they sat there with a sharpie and shaded in the headlights, all it was was a simple line with some type of pen or marker that washed off but could be seen with an oncoming car’s headlights.
I have been a victim of Antigo’s finest.
I was outside 2 summers ago with my brother,my wife and sister in law.We were cooking out and minding our own business.It was around 10:00pm when we were saying goodnight out in front of my house.
We were kind of loud but none of us were drinking just acting goofy seeing how we dont see each other too much.He was in Iraq home on leave.
My neighbors who are known meth addicts started freaking out on us acting all paranoid started screaming out the windows.We laughed them off and continued walking towards my brothers vehicle.
Next thing I know 3 people came running out of the rented house next door and throwing punches at us.We defended ourselves in my yard.
My wife called the police.the police came.They went to school with my neighbors.They let them go.My brother and I both received disorderly conduct tickets .
The funny thing is the cops even gave my neighbor and his friends a ride after the whole incident.
I guess we could have went to court and fought it but since my brother was
going to be along way away I just paid both of our tickets.
I have another story about how pathetic this police force is.
I have teenagers.Last summer they had a couple friends over sitting on the front porch.It was around 8pm on a Saturday night and my wife and I were in the house watching tv.My front widow is right next to the porch.I seen some police on my porch.I looked outside and there was a squad car in front of my house.I went out and there was 2 officers there questioning the kids on my porch.I thought the worse.
Apparently the kids were loud.I was sitting in my living room watching the news and could not hear them.But the claimed they received a complaint.
As I was standing there 2 more squad cars pulled up.
5 officers for 5 loud kids.
We were talking and we could hear the taverns from downtown.You could hear breaking bottles and feel the bass from the music.
Jack booted thugs.
I’m fairly new to Antigo, but where I lived before it was common knowledge that tires were marked. In fact, they would chalk them each hour a car sat outside a bar. If the tire had 4 marks, that meant the owner had been in the bar at least 4 hours. The more marks you had, the more chance you had of getting pulled over. My brother in law was a cop and readily admitted it! Also I’m not sure it was chalk, because it didn’t wipe off very easily and would only disappear after driving around a few hours. I think it definitely helped in preventing drunk driving.
It’s the same people crying about the cops not getting the drunk drivers as it is the ones complaining about the cops marking tires. I’m not saying they’re doing that or if they are, maybe it is to enforce the parking limits or in fact to catch the drunks but if they didn’t catch the drunks and they killed one of the complainers family members then they would be complaining about that too and some how blaming the cops. Most of you complaining about it are the drunks in the bar. I personally could care less if that’s what the cops are doing. Hope it helps keep the drunks off the road. Get a life and find something else to bit@* about!
Jistme-it’s wrong of you to assume that the people posting here “are the drunks in the bar”. I’m sure you’d be surprised to see many of the posts are from bar/restaurant owners and their employees who are tired of being singled out due to something as simple as where their cars have been parked.
And am I to understand that from you comment about how you “could care less” that you believe the end justifies the means and that the years and years of thought and effort put forth for our justice system was a waste?
We have laws regarding how law enforcement does their job, so that innocent people are not being harrassed and the rights, awarded to us by the constitution, are not being ignored.
This post is not about the rights of “drunk driver” just about the police and how they are doing there jobs. Some times good and some times bad.
And finally, if you have issues with drunk drivers, than take it up with them. When someone gets behind the wheel after drinking, the only person to blame is themselves. It’s not the bar’s fault for serving alcohol, not the bartender for serving them, not the dealership who sold them the car and not the police for not catching them. It’s the drivers fault. It’s called taking responsibility for yourself and if more people did it we would not have to rely on others to solve our problems.
I’ve heard that there are aliens in the area….
Come on… let the law enforcement do its job. You don’t like it? Report it. Call the people listed above and make a difference. Don’t just b*tch on the computer about the issues, step up and change it.
How many of you have run for public office? Or how many of you have sat on a committee meeting? Be active in the community and make the changes needed!
I always thought Antigo was always a Communist state with selective law enforcement. If you had the right last name you didn’t have to worry. That’s one of the reasons why I moved out of Antigo. I think Antigo and Langlade county has improved somewhat since Steger got the boot.
I read a statistic that Antigo has the highest number of Cops per capita than any other city in the state of Wisconsin. I am not sure if that is true. I have no problem with Police directing traffic at least they are doing something.
I think Antigo has a long history of selective Law Enforcement issues. It used to be a Comminist state like Hazard County and Boss Hog in charge. That’s one of the reasons why I got the heck out. It doesn’t seem as bad as it used to be since Judge Jensen kicked the bucket, and Steger got the boot.
It is not true, Antigo has nowhere near the highest number of cops per capita. The state average is 2.35 cops per 1,000 people. Antigo has 1.97 (including the administration) cops per 1,000 people. Antigo has 16 cops and Antigo has about 8100 people.
http://www.greenfieldpolice.org/Annual_Stats/2003_Law_Enforcement_Employees.pdf
follow above link for info regarding number of officers in agencies around the Milwaukee area. There are other agencies in the area that havea higher number of cops per population as well.
thanks for correcting me..
I was just hearing what others have told me.
my uncle was recently pulled over and taken for a night of jail on account of swerving on the road and he didnt have any alchoholic drinks that night. he was pulled over after a bear had crossed the road in front of him. it was even on the dashboard camera and the pd of antigo simply tried to ignore that evidence to fill their quota.
another time is when my aunt was driving to work at 3:00AM to go to cops (the store) for the early shift. a cop followed her all the way from the intersection of hwy 52 and B about 12 or 13 miles out of town until she got to work, when he then pulled her into the parking lot and made her do a straight-line-walking test for no reason. the video footage for the exterior of Copps even proved there was nothing wrong with her driving that night.
I say that its only the cops trying to fill their quota because of low crime rates in antigo and the ironic Need for the 16 or w/e police officers we have now
and i agree completely with simplemind, because if you dont have a fancy name in antigo, you wont be recognized as “someone important”
even quiktrip had to raise gas prices when they moved into antigo because Remmington’s and Drager Oil wouldnt let them keep it low. The QuikTrip company had to sign a pact with them to keep their gas above Remmington’s prices or QuikTrip would not be allowed into the Antigo area
It is also worth mentioning that the big shots in charge of the fair-grounds with Stock Car Races and other events (the pig wrestling especially) did not allow them to be filmed and put on Charter Digital Channel 3 out of the AHS. I should know, my name is Steven Wiegert and I work with Channel 3 and will be this year’s anchor for Live at 5 when we start up again.
By the way, if you have any special community event filming needs you can contact us during school hours at 715-623-7611 and ask the office for Glenn Bugni or Ben Wilhelm.
As far as the stock car races go, rumor has it that all of the driver’s winning checks bounced recently. That might be agood reason NOT to be featured on local TV (lol).
The following was received in an email today:
Earlier this morning, I was informed by a co-worker that somewhere on Antigo buzz, Someone posted a lie. Supposedly, the race track was issuing checks to drivers that bounced. That is simply not true. I am a board member of Antigo Stock Car Inc. and as long as I can remember there has not been any checks issued to a driver that bounced.
In all reality, we have had checks in the pit area written to us that has bounced. So whoever wrote that about A.S.C.I, please get your facts straight, before posting something like that. We go over the financials every 2 weeks, and I have never seen any charges from the bank to us as a result of ant bounced checks either.
I know the track has always been a hotbed of conversation with both good and bad opinions , but we do not write bad checks…….
My name is Jim Hill. I am both a board member, and the new race director, and I care about the image we are projecting into this town, and the surrounding areas.
Thank you
Jim Hill
To “An Angry Resident”: Please clarify your posting of the following so I don’t misunderstand:
“It is also worth mentioning that the big shots in charge of the fair-grounds with Stock Car Races and other events (the pig wrestling especially) did not allow them to be filmed and put on Charter Digital Channel 3 out of the AHS. I should know, my name is Steven Wiegert and I work with Channel 3 and will be this year’s anchor for Live at 5 when we start up again”
Do you mean the county board will not allow you to film or the Stock Car Race Board? There would be a difference there because if you film an event that they are charging money for attending, your filming of it would hurt their gate receipts so I could understand it if were the Stock Car Board. The same would hold true for the Fair Board for the pig wrestling. Why would someone pay money if they could stay home and watch it the next day or next week for free? I don’t mean to sound like I am complaining, just trying to look at it from both sides. Now, if it is the County Board, I would like to know why they issued such a thing.
We have not ever turned down anyone filming at the races. I started as a board member of the stock car club last year, and never have I heard anything about channel 3 filming during the race. If someone did in fact tell you that you could’nt, I would like to know who it is.
Would we like it to be the entire race….probably not, but if you wanted to film a segment for the live at 5 I surely cant see that as a problem. One thing I will say though, if you are going to be doing the “news” …tell the whole story. A.S.C.I. had nothing to do with you guys not being able to film during the fair.
Jim Hill
A.S.C.I. board member
Thank you for the clarification given Jim Hill. I hope you understood why I was asking “An Angry Resident”; I can indeed see why you MAY not want to have the races filmed (ticket sales) but it sounds like what you are saying is there is actually a possibility to show some of a race on Channel 3 and you know what, that might indeed bring interest to the people who are staying in the area and turn on the tv at their hotels/motels. Good idea!
To continue this line of conversation, I believe that the kids at AHS who run Channel 3, with the guidance of Ben Wilhelm and Glenn Bugni are priceless to the community. Channel 3 really provides the subscribers of Charter Communications an outlet into what is going on in the community. Some of the content that is produced is more fun and learning than actual news, but it takes some pretty dedicated kids to produce what they do.
When I was a member of Channel 2 (as it used to be known) a few years back when the station was in its infancy, we had made a similar request, to cover stock car races. There were 2 main reasons given to use for not filming.
1-Insurance Liability. Because those on the track during racing action would be minors, the ASCI insurance company wouldn’t not allow them to be anywhere within the field of play (meaning they would be restricted to filming from the aluminum bleachers).
2-The stock car association, at that time decided they didn’t want to chance loosing revenue to TV viewers. They realized how much each seat cost, and they did not believe they could make that up with DVD sales of the show.
Jim, I encourage you to contact the insurance underwriters and see what restrictions the policy would have. I would hate to see the kids get excited and then not be able to do it, however if everything was a go, I think it would be great!
Has anyone heard that Charter Communications is trying to change the public access channels to further down their line-up, which means that Channel 3 wouldn’t be included in the basic package??? That means that you’d have to pay additional money to view local access events? If this is true, Antigo really needs to consider another cable option if it’s a possibility because this sucks!